a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved method for preparing an aromatic secondary amino compound.
The aromatic secondary amino compound obtained by the method of the present invention is an extremely important industrial product such as a raw material for modifier of rubber and dyes.
b. Description of the Prior Art
As methods for preparing an aromatic secondary amino compound, these are known a method in which the reaction of toluidine is carried out in a liquid phase at 300.degree. to 400.degree. C. in the presence of a suitable self-condensation type reaction catalyst (BF.sub.3, FeCl.sub.2, a salt of an ammonium halogenide, or a mineral acid), and a method in which cresol is reacted with toluidine at 330.degree. to 340.degree. C. under pressure in the presence of triphenyl phosphite.
Other methods for preparing the aromatic secondary amino compound are also known which comprise the dehydrogenation reaction of an N-cyclohexylideneamino compound. For example, there are a method for obtaining N-cyclohexylidene-N' -isopropylphenylenediamine at a temperature of 350.degree. C. or less in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst (British Patent No. 989257); a method in which reaction is carried out in a gaseous phase, while oxygen or an oxygen-containing gas is fed at 300.degree. to 450.degree. C. in the presence of an oxidizing catalyst such as silica or alumina (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 49924/1974); a method for obtaining 4-methyldiphenylamine by reaction at 300.degree. to 500.degree. C. in the presence of a dehydrogenation catalyst selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, palladium and copper-chromium alloy (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 49925/1974); and a method for preparing an amino compound by the use of a specific nickel/chromium catalyst (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4623/1982).
Still other methods are already known in which a nitro compound is used as a hydrogen acceptor in the presence of a hydrogen moving catalyst to produce an amine in the system, and a nucleus-substituted cyclohexanone is simultaneously reacted with the amine to prepare an aromatic secondary amino compound. For example, there are a method for obtaining p-ethoxydiphenylamine by reacting p-nitrophenetole with a large excess of cyclohexanone in the presence of a palladium catalyst (British Patent No. 975097); a method for obtaining 2,6-dimethyldiphenylamine by reacting 1/3 mol of 2,6-dimethylaniline, 2/3 mol of 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene, and cyclcohexanone in the presence of a palladium catalyst, the amount of cyclohexanone being 10% in excess of the total of 2,6-dimethylaniline and 2,6-dimethylnitrobenzene (British Patent No. 989257); and a method for preparing a diphenylamine derivative by reacting 2-(alkyl or alkoxy)-4-alkoxynitrobenzene, 2-(alkyl or alkoxy)-4-alkoxyaniline and cyclohexanone in the presence of a palladium catalyst (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 117214/1993).
However, these conventional methods have drawbacks of (1) severe reaction conditions, (2) a low reaction rate, and (3) a low yield. For these reasons, they are not industrially satisfactory manufacturing methods.